This invention relates generally to desktop chargers for portable electronic devices and, more specifically, to desktop chargers having two pockets for charging electronic devices and spare batteries.
Portable electronic devices are becoming as standard an accessory as a wallet or purse. People are carrying cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers and the like in record numbers. For example, according to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), cellular telephone usage in the United States increased 27% between 1999 and 2000. As of July, 2000, there were over 97 million cellular subscribers in the United States alone.
As people talk more and more on cellular telephones, they require more and more energy from batteries. Consequently, people often carry two or more batteries during the day. Nothing is more frustrating than missing a casting call for a Broadway musical because your phone battery is dead.
Cellular phone manufacturers understand the need for multiple batteries and thus sell desktop chargers that have multiple pockets in them. These chargers generally have a front pocket for accommodating a cellular phone, and a rear pocket for accommodating an extra battery. While these chargers effectively charge multiple batteries (e.g. the battery connected to the phone and the battery in the rear pocket), there is a problem in that the chargers require charging circuitry that increases the cost of the system. As nickel and lithium batteries have very specific charging algorithms, the desktop charger that charges a battery in the rear pocket must have intricate charging circuitry that adds cost to the charger. Consequently, some people are unable to afford such complex chargers.
There is thus a need for a less expensive charger capable of charging multiple batteries.